Traditional Black Forest Cake is made in layers of chocolate cake with whipped cream and cherries between each layer. While this version certainly isn’t traditional, it does pay tribute to the basic concept. It also contains much healthier ingredients.
I was originally going to add just beet pulp. I juiced 3 medium beets, which was all I had on hand, and it didn’t make enough pulp, so I added in the carrot pulp to get a full cup. I’m glad I did because the beet pulp had a very earthy flavor. I think a full cup would have been too much.
I used cherries that I pitted and put in the freezer during the cherry season earlier in the year. These particular cherries didn’t have a strong flavor to them. I think this cake would be better if the flavor were stronger.
The cake isn’t extremely chocolaty. That’s fine, since I’m actually going to coat it with chocolate like a petit four. You can add more cacao powder if you are eating it without any kind of frosting, but you may have to adjust the amount of sweetener.
This time I used a heart shaped brownie mold. Can you tell I’m in love with the silicon baking molds for raw cakes? LOL! Seriously, portion control is a big deal around my house, and making sweets in molds really helps.
Conclusion
The earthiness of the beet goes very well with the chocolate, and walnuts. IMHO the cherry flavor is a bit lost in mine, but I think that’s because the original cherries were bland, too.
As I mentioned above, these will be coated with chocolate, so that will add more flavor to them, and I think they will be just perfect!
Enjoy!
Yield
20 cake bites
Prep Time
15m
Cook Time
15m
Equipment Required
Ingredients1⁄2 cup beet pulp 1⁄2 cup carrot pulp 1⁄3 cup Medjool dates, pitted (about 6 dates) 1⁄4 cup walnuts 3 tablespoons rolled oats 3 tablespoons steel cut oats 3 tablespoons cacao powder 1⁄2 cup cherries, pitted 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon 1⁄8 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt 4 teaspoons Coconut Secret Coconut Nectar |
DirectionsPut the walnuts, dates, cherries, rolled oats, vanilla, salt and cinnamon in the bowl of the food processor with the “s” blade. Pulse just until the texture is even, and small grains. Don’t over-process and turn into paste! Transfer the mixture to a bowl and, using a fork, mix in the steel cut oats and the pulp and coconut nectar until everything is thoroughly combined. Taste mixture and adjust flavor as needed. Press mixture into the mold. Refrigerate over night. To remove the pieces from the mold, place a plastic cutting board on top. Turn over, and press in the center of the molds until the cake bites release. |
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